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The Adventures of Sollus Dellager

Part 7: Argoth

Sollus lifted a gloved hand, blocking the sun as he peered upwards at a small stone tower, just beyond it loomed the enormous spires of the capital, spearing into the sky, almost threatening to pierce the sun. A man in steel armor waved down at him, shouting something before disappearing behind the rampart. Sollus looked down at Zach, shrugging as he stood straight.

"I think he wants us to wait for him..." Not a moment later the thick wooden door at the base of the tower opened, the guard walking down the small stone ramp with relative haste, slowing as he saw the duo. His regalia was more visible now, a deep blue tabard, spotless, and covering a lot of his armor. Upon seeing the impressive stature of the dragon disguised as a human the guard seemed to stare for a moment eyes wide as his composure faltered, before quickly regaining himself. The man straightened as he produced a wooden tablet upon which were a few sheets of paper, a soft cough clearing his throat.

"A-ahem...good morning gentlemen, on your way to the capital eh? I'll just need to ask a few questions fer formality's sake if ye please." Sollus nodded at the man, looking down at Zach with another nod.

"ah, by all means my good man." The man seemed to stammer, surprised at the the deep voice from Sollus, glancing at Zach, then back up at the giant of a "man" he regained himself once more, clearing his throat and standing straight yet again.

"Right, well, first I'll be needin' yer names, duration of stay, and yer business in Argoth." It was Sollus's turn to straighten, pulling out the letter the Mayor had given him he held it up, displaying the wax seal on it, the emblem of Temaria clearly visible.

"I am Sollus, and this is Zach, we will be staying here for at least a few months, and our business is first to see King Vasilis, and then to visit Archmage Alondar of the college." The guard's eyes seemed to widen, clearly unaccustomed to such official business. He fumbled with a small book at his side, opening it to flip to a few pages, looking at the seal and then back at his book, mumbling under his breath, his voice growing louder as he read the passage.

"blah blah blah...bears of this seal are...declared heroes of the kingdom?!" The man looked up, dropping the book to his side which was fortunately held to him by a chain. He made a salute, clearly a practiced gesture before he spoke quickly and rather loudly Sollus would think.

"Sir! It is my pleasure to welcome any hero of the kingdom! It is my great honor to admit you passage to the city of Argoth! Please, allow me no more time to keep you!" With that the man pivoted on a heel, turning to face the stone ramp before awkwardly marching up it, re-entering the tower and closing the door. Sollus could swear he heard an exasperated sigh of relief behind it. Turning to Zach, who returned an amused smile and a soft chuckle; Sollus pointed forward, taking a deep breath before shouting in a jocose manner.

"Onward!" Sollus marched in a similarly to the awkward guard, Zach imitating him as he fell in stride next to him. The white walls of Argoth and the reaching spires growing steadily closer as the sun rose high into the sky.

~

The pair approach the great iron doors of the city, just as they were swinging wide, the first trade caravan for the day leaving as the rider on the back of the wagon cracked his whip, the horse gaining speed into a solid trot. The man riding it was a merchant who made the rounds from Argoth to Temaria quite often and recognized Sollus immediately, pulling the reins to slow his horse again a scant foot or so from the duo.

"Ho there! Sollus? I couldn't mistake that stature anywhere. What brings you to Argoth?" Sollus gave a friendly wave to the man before looking back at the cargo in his wagon, shifting his weight onto a leg before crossing his arms.

"Ah, good morning Lionel, I hope you've got nails and planks back there, Temaria is in desperate need of some repairs after recent events..." Sollus's countenance turned somewhat grim, looking down for a moment as the middle-aged merchant lifted a hand to scratch at his scruffy chin.

"aye, we heard, a few of my colleagues are about to set out right behind me with materials of that nature. This isn't a money-making venture, or at least not in the traditional sense. The king himself is paying for us to help bring relief materials to the city..." The man looked up at the sky, staring at the clouds for a moment before sighing and letting the reins go slack in his hands. "A dragon eh?...this far south, I never would have dreamed, not in my darkest nightmares..." He straightened, looking down at the giant "man" with a soft smile. "Ah, but it's over now hmm? I've got a whole wagon full of less..practical items, but still much needed...supplies I think!" Sollus glanced at the kegs that were quite obviously not full of water, chuckling as he felt his mood lift once more.

"haha, aye, I'm sure the captain will be most pleased in particular, he seemed quite ragged when we left." Looking back at the massive gates, Sollus spied another wagon starting to shuffle past, knowing they would soon be blocking the road. He leaned over, giving the trader's horse a firm slap on its rear. As it started forward the merchant lifted his hand to hold onto his hat, laughing as he waved back.

"haha, hey! I'll see you later Sollus!" as his wagon trailed off the pair approached the guard at the gate who simply nodded, gesturing for them to go ahead and walk in. As they passed the modestly engraved doors the pair looked up in awe of the sheer size of the gatehouse. A massive portcullis hung threateningly in the ceiling, behind it was yet another, as well as another pair of iron doors, the rather imposing structure clearly meant to withstand the battering of any army. As the pair passed the final gate they could see down the street all the way to the base of the college, the full splendor of the city open to them as they simply stared for a moment.

The city was laid out quite similarly to Temaria, a long stone street stretched from the gatehouse all the way to the other side of the city. That is If not for the College in the way. It was a massive white tower, wide at the base and spearing up into the sky, tapering slightly before expanding into a large circular housing with large windows on the exterior. On its roof was a spire that continued onwards a short but noticeable distance, forming the highest point in the city. Along the length of the tower were all sorts of jutting rooms and windows, built right into the side, making it actually look rather strange and awkward from the exterior. The street ran close to the tower before dissolving into a large circular plaza around its base which fed into the other three streets of the city, one to the western and northern gatehouse, and the southern path leading straight to the castle, which overlooked the river and ocean, The castle itself was adorned with many reaching spikes, the tips of them all painted blue, sparkling in the light. The area surrounding the tower was composed of mostly white stone buildings, all adorned with spires, which rose up quite a few stories before subsequent buildings were of less, the entire city seeming to rise as one moved towards the center, culminating in the massive tower. On the outer rings of the city the buildings were less impressive, most wooden, or gray stone. Off of the main streets, which split the city into quarters, the passages devolved into alleys and short winding paths, a complicated warren in some places where most of the population lived.

Sollus looked along the wide stone path stretching towards the college, on either side were all kinds of shops and markets, the road was easily as wide enough to fit many wagons, carts, and whatever else was necessary. Zach blinked; a boy like him had never been to the capital before, having grown up in the country his whole life.

"Wow...if we weren't so well equipped already we could easily pick up something here..." Sollus as well was struggling to take the sheer scope and size of the city in, his eyes darting around at people, shops, buildings, and the massive white tower of the college itself.

"Yeah...come on Zach. We need to get moving if we want to accomplish a lot today..." The young man nodded, the pair setting down the broad path. Sollus noticed a few glances at him. He was used to it due to the immense stature of his human form, but it still bothered him somewhat. He idly wondered if the archmage could help him appear to be normal sized, but that would mean changing his entire appearance. He shook his head at the thought, imagining it a rather pointless venture anyways. As they passed the few shops and markets which dotted the sides of the street Zach found his eyes ever drawn to the tower ahead of them, the thing was the largest structure in the kingdom, and the center of magical learning for the entire continent, and it certainly lived up to its reputation at least by appearance. Sollus noticed the wonder on Zach's face, grinning as he enjoyed the bewilderment and excitement his friend was experiencing. Pointing a finger up to the highest section of the tower Sollus crouched down slightly to match Zach's line of sight.

"Up there is where the archmages are, there is one for most schools of magic; destruction, illusion, entropy, healing, there are a few others as well, but those are the four main schools. Lord Pavel mentioned Alondar, the master of illusion at the college. I suppose that makes him the expert for the entire continent too...just imagine all of the things he knows!" Zach tilted his head, pondering a few ideas, some of them making him blush for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"a-ah yeah I bet!" With a matched grin the two set off again, growing closer to the tower. As they neared its base they noticed that it had no apparent entrance, at least, not on this side. Sollus assumed it was somewhere else, but as they rounded the tower towards the southern path which stretched to the castle, it became apparent that the entire base of the tower was featureless save for the smooth white stone. Puzzled, he scratched his head.

"It must be hidden..."

"Or accessed magically." Zach added. Sollus blinked a few times, looking down at the human with a grin.

"Ah! Of course! I'm surprised I didn't think of that...I'm sure the king will tell us how to get in once we speak with him." Turning to go down the southern road the duo were treated to an equally expansive and busy road, looking ahead they could see the castle, a massive white stone building, if not for the tower it would easily be the most noticeable feature of the city, a fact which Sollus idly mused probably makes the royalty and nobles a bit jealous.

As they neared the castle, the number of guards and soldiers they spotted increased. Most wore the same regalia as the gate guards or the tower guard they had met before, but others had additional ribbons and more finely crafted armor, indicating a higher station. Some of them eyed Sollus a bit suspiciously, no doubt practiced to be on the lookout for dubious characters. Sollus gave one a courteous wave, which elicited an audible grunt as the man turned his head away and resumed his patrol.

Approaching the castle, the two were once again awestruck by the sheer size of it, the reaching arches and sunken vaults, the carved statuettes, all seeming to converge on the entrance to the castle, yawning blue doors already opened, flanked on both sides by royal guards, covered in the gleaming steel and blue cloth of the city. Stone steps poured forth from the doors in all directions, flowing like water to the cobblestone street. As they drew closer it seemed to grow ominously before them, the two couldn't help but train their heads upwards as it loomed. Sollus snapped his head back forward again, hearing a familiar shouting as he neared the stone steps, his breath catching for a moment as he mumbled just loud enough for Zach to hear.

"Veimar..." Zach too gasped, looking ahead the pair froze in their tracks, looking at the back of the man's cloak. He was clearly agitated, waving his arms around and shouting at a guard who was displaying an extreme amount of patience.

"Would you listen to me you daft sod! There is a dragon, in disguise, and he's here to meet with the king! I'm from Temaria, I know what really happened! Listen to me damn it!" The guard waved his hand as he breathed an exasperated sigh.

"For the last time sir, you are not privy to his majesty's meeting schedule, No one will tell you who has seen him, when, where they went, or anything of that nature. Furthermore, I am somewhat offended at your insinuation that the royal guard cannot properly protect his majesty, and that a drunken, raving madman is going to save him! Now, if you will please be on your way, I have a very important job to do here." Veimar stammered, stomping his feet in frustration as the guard crossed his arms, obviously quite unwavering in his stance to not admit the man inside. Fuming he turned, only to see Sollus and Zach, who had both taken a few steps forward, emboldened by the fact that Veimar was not being taken seriously. He looked puzzled for a moment before recognition crossed his mind, lifting a hand and pointing dramatically he all but screamed out.

"T-that's him! It's Sollus! He's a dragon, and he's here to assassinate the king!" He rotated, practically flinging himself back at the guard as he shouted. The soldier obviously convinced of nothing more than the man's insanity he rolled his eyes, pushing him away, as he fell on his rear on the hard stone path. Sollus seized the moment, stepping forward and leaning down, lifting the man up easily back to his feet he looked down at Veimar with a pleasant smile.

"Oh come on now Veimar, you've known me for years. I'm just a perfectly normal human like you. You've been drinking again haven't you...you should really do something during your first day of visiting the capital than drink!" The man stammered, struggling to shove Sollus away as he came to his feet once more, eyeing him with fire in his eyes.

"G-get your hands off of me you beast!" He shook with annoyance, wiggling as Sollus let him go, his momentum carrying him to stumble and almost fall down yet again. As he regained his composure he glared at Sollus lifting a finger to point at him directly.

"This isn't over dragon..." He about spat the words, throwing his hands up and marching off, _no doubt to the pub, _Sollus mused. The quite well disguised dragon turned to regard the man, who had been watching the scene with crossed arms and a tilted head, his eyebrow raised as Sollus walked up to him.

"State your business at Crag Keep." Sollus and Zach looked at the man, straightening himself the dragon in disguise stepped forward, trying very hard not to appear too imposing. It was apparently not working as the guard raised an eyebrow in apparent suspicion.

"I am Sollus Dellager, and this is Zach, we are both from the city of Temaria and bring news of the dragon attack. We are also seeking an audience with the king. This letter should explain all of the details." Sollus pulled out the letter and passed it to the guard who looked over it briefly, but the speed of his eyes would display that he indeed read all of it. Peering back up at the black cloaked giant he maintained his raised eyebrow, releasing a long sigh

"Very well Mr. Dellager, all seems to be in order, his majesty has no current engagements and will likely see you shortly. Regardless, I must ask you to wait in the main hall, head straight in and seneschal Severen will let you know when you may enter." The man waved without even looking behind him, and a young boy quickly jogged through the doors. Sollus nodded to the man and passed him, Zach following closely behind as they stepped with seeming reverence past the great doors and into the keep proper. Sollus heard a gasp from behind him.

"Wow...I heard stories about constructions like this, but I never imagined they would be this...impressive." Sollus grunted ahead of him, looking back.

"I appreciate the difficulty in the construction, but it feels off to me...unnatural. I think it's just a dragon thing. My kind lives in mountains, caves, underwater, in the air. We are very much a part of nature. I suppose I can appreciate the innate apprehension about humans being the only race that so profoundly affects nature..." Zach seemed to look down, feeling a bit guilty for his amazement of the city.

"I-I'm sorry Sollus...I didn't mean to offend you..." The giant man turned quickly, crouching somewhat to grip both of Zach shoulders looking at him somewhat intently.

"No Zach, it is quite alright, I was just idly musing, think nothing of it!" The "dragon" paused, looking up at the vaulted ceilings, the stretching pillars, and the shining windows. "I suppose a building like this looks a lot like a cave or mountain in some ways; perhaps man seeks to emulate natural beauty..." Zach nodded, and the two walked in silence for a while, eventually reaching two more great blue doors, these ones closed, with a guard on either side, their faces shrouded by helms, but their stance resolute and unmoving. The young boy from earlier was at the side, pointing at them and talking to a tall, rather lanky looking man, who was wearing a blue robe and a slanted hat. He looked up to regard them before with a light pushing urging the boy return to his post, the child dashing past the pair with a glance at Sollus.

"Welcome to Crag Keep Mr. Dellager! I trust your journey went well?" The man approached, stretching his arms wide, which made Sollus fearful he may have to hug the him, however he swiftly closed them before himself, making a resounding clap as he rubbed his knuckles and looked at the pair carefully. Sollus suddenly remembered he had been asked a question, lost staring at the somewhat creepy smile of the lanky man.

"Ah, yes, it went quite well I must say, we tried very hard to get here quickly, the city is still recovering from the attack." The man nodded, his face seeming to dedicate every muscle to an approaching exasperated sigh, which escaped as he looked down for a moment, his whole frame drooping.

"Oh Gods yes! I oversaw preparations for the caravan this morning myself, dreadful business indeed!" The man said it as if annoyed by the whole ordeal, Sollus getting the feeling that he felt the entire situation just another annoyance on a long list.

"Ah, but where are my manners? I am Seneschal Severen, and I oversee the daily workings of life here at Crag Keep for his majesty. I am certain the king will be quite eager to meet you. May I see the letter from lord Pavel please?" Sollus nodded and passed it to the man, whose gangly fingers quickly snatched it up, reading over it somehow even faster than the guard before. Sollus idly thought to himself that he had not read the letter himself, and pondered its contents. He heard a soft gasp from the man, glancing over at him as he looked up, surprise and shock on his face.

"Who else has read this letter?!" Sollus took a step back, looking to Zach for a moment before back to the man, whose eyes had gone rather wide.

"J-just you and the guard at the front!" Severen seemed to relax slightly, however he regarded Sollus somewhat differently, looking him up and down.

"Good. I'll take it to his majesty immediately. Please, wait here." The man turned swiftly, entering a small door which Sollus assumed as a more direct path to the throne room. Zach tugged lightly on Sollus's cape.

"w-what do you think was in that letter?" The dragon had a few ideas of what could illicit such a response from the man, and looked down at his companion. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling we are about to find out..."

As if on cue a bell tolled from somewhere in the expansive ceiling, the two guards, who Sollus had begun to regard as statues immediately straightened and turned to move to the center of the door before pushing on each half, opening them with a firm push. They creaked on the hinges, but spread open into the throne room. The duo walked forward, the room filled with light, many more windows than the keep now behind them. Straight ahead, after a long reaching gilded blue carpet and a few steps sat the throne, ornate and stone, aside from some blue decorations it sat, and upon it could only be one man. Severen was at his side and moved down the three steps, both of his hands extending to gesture at the man on the throne.

"His Majesty, King Vasillis Argothan the Fourth!" The seneschal turned and bowed to the king before approaching the pair, Sollus glanced back to notice the doors closing behind them.

"Mr. Sollus Dellager, hero of Temaria!" Severen bowed once more, before returning to his place beside the king, who straightened in the stone chair, Sollus idly mused in his head that it did not look like a comfortable seat at all. The king was wearing mostly generic finery, but not nearly as gaudy as lord Pavel, his face was firm, a short brown beard and moustache adorning it, atop his head as a simple crown, gold and jeweled, but small and modest, at least as far as crowns go. Across his chest was a gold and blue stripe from shoulder to opposite hip, and flowing down his back and off the chair beneath him was an equally rich and vibrant cloak, trimmed with golden cloth. He regarded the pair and leaned forward, his voice far more rustic than Sollus would have expected from a king, one much more befitting a warrior.

"Ah, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Dellager. Severen has apprised me of all the details and I read the letter from lord Pavel thoroughly." The monarch leaned forward further, resting his elbows on his knees, both hands supporting his chin as he looked intently at Sollus. "Absolutely flawless..." Sollus moved one shoulder back, tilting his head ever so slightly.

"I-I beg your pardon your majesty?" A wry grin crossed the king's face as he straightened, leaning back in his chair.

"Your illusion of course...I daresay you are the first dragon to ever set foot in this room." The dragon's eyes widened, inhaling sharply as Zach also gasped from behind. The king held up a hand.

"Do not fear Sollus, I am a king, not some simple-minded barbarian, I understand what you are, but I also understand that you saved one of my kingdom's most prosperous cities from destruction. We have grown lax in security with Kranoth operating almost exclusively in the North, we did not anticipate an attack this far south. I am extremely grateful that you were there and willing to help. I know it could not have been easy for you." Sollus adjusted his position, bowing for the first time to the king.

"I appreciate your understanding your majesty, and no it most certainly was not easy." Standing once more the dragon stared at the man intently. "I may not be human, but I cannot, and will not stand idly by while anyone, man or dragon slaughters innocent people." The king nodded, looking over him as he sat back, crossing his hands.

"I accept that, and your actions are more than adequate to prove that belief to me. Still though, I would like to converse with you in your true form, if you don't mind..." Severen straightened beside the throne, looking down at Vasillis with wide eyes.

"A-are you sure that is a good idea your highness?" The king waved a hand at him, and he too looked forward at Sollus who took a step back, nodding before gesturing for Zach to step aside. Lifting his hands, and adding a few small motions for shameless dramatic effect, he let his illusion fall away, his form swelling, as the leather armor stretched back into his plates, green scales filling in the gaps. His cloak expanding and splitting into two large wings, folded close against his back. As his head and neck stretched it formed a great draconic muzzle and head, the dragon stretching his jaws as he lowered it, piercing red eyes flashing in the light as horns pushed from behind his head. A large tail pushed free, slumping on the ground as he let himself fall onto his forepaws, careful not to mess up the ornate carpet as he blinked a few times; a very large green dragon now standing on all fours where the "human" once was.

All throughout Severen's mouth was agape, his eyes wide and unblinking as he watched the astounding transformation. For his part the king's expression changed little, that characteristic smirk on his face as he watched with fascination, before standing from his chair, stepping down the three steps closer to the dragon. Sollus idly noticed Severen extending a desperate hand and stifling a word towards the king.

"Most impressive." Sollus looked down, regarding the man as he approached, watching as he stopped and stood a short distance away. The dragon's voice was considerably more guttural and gruff.

"I admit I did not make sure there was room before transforming. It feels a bit cramped in here now...still, it is good to not hold that illusion for a while. He lowered his head, looking at the human who matched his gaze. "We came here to ask for your help your majesty." Vasillis shifted onto his back foot, crossing his arms as he looked upwards.

"Oh? And what could I do for you sir dragon?" There was a playful tone to the king's voice, and Sollus got the feeling this was no typical monarch, but a real, authentic person, more than capable of acting on his own, and without the typical negative stereotypes of a politician. The dragon smiled, noticing that showing his teeth made Severen take another step backwards.

"Well, firstly I would like to meet with Archmage Alondar at the college." The king gave a short nod.

"Oh that can easily be arranged, but I think you aren't here just to learn about magic." Sollus nodded.

"Yes, secondly, I wish for your permission to try and find a peaceful end to this war with the dragons. With Kranoth." The king looked down, his features darkening as he turned away to face his throne contemplatively.

"I struggle to call Kranoth anything but a monster...he has killed or ordered the killing of many of my people, and the people of the other kingdoms as well. We have killed dragons, your kind, in the hundreds before this war began. Humans have hunted your species to the brink of extinction already, and Kranoth aims that at the end of this war, either humans or dragons will be gone forever from this land. He means to fight this to the end, and make no mistake he will." The king took a few steps towards his throne, before turning to face the dragon again. "I doubt your cause Sollus, but you are free to try. I will send word to the generals up north as well as to the kings of Thaladar and Calgarde. You are free to attempt this, but it is Kranoth who you must convince, not us." Sollus nodded.

"All I can ask for is the chance to try, thank you your majesty." The dragon bowed his head to the man, before looking up once more. "Still though, there is the matter of the college." The king nodded and gestured at Severen, still cowering by the chair before he snapped to relative attention, Sollus heard a snicker of amusement from Zach behind him, the king showing a smirk as well.

"Severen, send the boy to the college with a description of our heroes. Omit the...scaly parts." Sollus let out a deep chuckle as he lifted a paw, magic dancing on his claws as his form shrunk back down, his armored plates concealing the green scales and stretching to form the characteristics of his disguise, wings merging and shrinking to form that heavy cloak. After it was over the "man" gave a smile and a nod. The Seneschal's composure hardly any better as he shuffled out of the room. As if anticipating the question the king turned to his guests.

"Don't worry about Severen, he is fiercely loyal, and will not undermine me no matter his own opinions." The monarch looked down, regarding the lush carpet. "As I said Sollus I have my doubts. You have a lot of minds to convince, and one of the most powerful dragons to defeat, by wits or battle I'm not sure which will be easier. Still though, I wish you good luck, and you are always welcome here." Sollus nodded, turning to leave just as the great doors opened once more, the pair walking down the reaching hall and back into the city.

The College grew before them, the structure appearing no less impressive than before, as they entered the plaza and approached the base, the boy from the keep came jogging up to them, waving.

"Hello sirs, you can head right in!" The boy didn't even wait for an answer, quickly running back to the keep to get back to his duties. Sollus and Zach shared a glance, before both looking up at the tower, the young man pointing up to the top.

"I don't suppose you could fly us up there?" the dragon in disguise laughed, already looking around for some kind of door. His attention drawn to one of the peculiar stone designs on the plaza, he remembered that there was a red one on the eastern side of the plaza. The pair had walked right over it on their way to the castle. This one was blue, but of the same shape, a simple circle, with snaking lines converging on a much smaller circle in the center. Looking at it for a moment Sollus stepped forward onto it, the stones glowing a piercing blue, causing him to gasp. Zach noticed as well, eyes wide, before taking a few steps toward the center. Sollus regarded it for a moment before stepping on the small blue circle, causing him to promptly vanish.

~

The world blew away as if a pile of leaves in a summer breeze, yielding to an ocean of stars and blackness, like the nights sky but there were strands of bright colors, pink, blue, purple and orange, all racing by at a dizzying pace. Then suddenly the real world came rushing back, stone and wood all crashing in around at such speed he thought he might be crushed, before they stopped, hanging there almost threateningly, Sollus glancing down to see the same blue stone pattern beneath him as was in the plaza, looking up he found himself in a large circular room, the matching symbols from the other ends of the plaza arranged around a thick central pillar, a wide staircase carved into it, winding up the center to parts unknown. Stepping off of the symbol for fear of being pulled away yet again he looked around, seeing not a single person, the room deathly quiet. Interrupting the serenity was another bright flash of blue behind him, accompanied by a gust of air, the young human falling as Sollus walked forward to catch him, helping him back to his feet.

"Quite the ride huh?" Zach nodded, steadying himself as he was let go, looking around the silent room in bewilderment before stepping off the symbol as well, each footfall making an echoing clack through the room. The dragon took steps to approach the staircase, Zach following close behind. He stopped however as he heard very fast footsteps coming down from above, a man in a purple robe waving to them before following the stairs as they twisted around. As he reached the base he jogged up to them, panting as he bent over, hands on his knees.

"w-welcome...ahh...to the...C-college of Argoth...haaah..." Standing to his feet he looked over the two, holding up a hand as if to indicate he had more to say. "Phew...they don't usually make me messenger boy around here..." Sollus interrupted him regardless, if for no other reason than to let him catch his breath.

"Umm...Archmage Alondar?" The man straightened suddenly, letting out a loud guffaw at the comment, bending over again before looking at the being who asked such a silly question.

"Oh heavens no! Though I'm flattered you thought as much." The man put his hands on his hips, Sollus noticing that one hand was still covered by a long purple sleeve. "No, I am Fendel, just a lowly apprentice of the illusion school. Master Alondar is up at the top of the tower, waiting for you I might add." He pointed a finger at Sollus, blinking as he realized his sleeve was covering it. Pulling it back he pointed again, trying to appear stern. Sollus couldn't help but smirk.

"Ah, and I am most interested to meet him!" Fendel turned to Zach, raising an eyebrow which made the boy step forward, shifting on his feet.

"You need to come with me, we have quarters set out for you two and those without magical affinity are typically not allowed into the upper levels anyways." Zach nodded stepping forward. "Mr...Sollus was it? You can get to the top level by taking the stairs, the dormitories are on the first few levels so we will be climbing together for a while." Sollus tilted his head pondering why mages would use stairs despite having access to teleportation. As if on cue Fendel sighed as they approached the first step.

"I'm fairly sure they made this damn thing accessible only by stairs just so the archmages could run the apprentices ragged..." With a deep exasperated groan the trio started climbing.

The dormitories were largely featureless; the first they passed had red banners, the second white, followed by blue, finally purple. Each floor typically had a few people mulling about in robes of the same color, largely uninterested in the visitors. As they reached the purple bannered floor Fendel threw his arms up in an attempt to be dramatic.

"Here we are! The illusion school apprentice dormitories!" Sollus noticed another nearby apprentice looking up from a book and rolling their eyes before returning to their reading. "The floors are divided by schools of magic; destruction, healing, entropy, and illusion. Illusion is the highest floor because it is the best!" An apprentice in a red robe was coming down the staircase and overheard, shouting down as he neared.

"But is it only destruction that could support the dense skulls of the higher schools from the bottom!" He laughed and continued on downwards, leaving Fendel to sulk somewhat before gesturing to Zach.

"Anyways, I'll show you where you will be staying while you are here. Sollus, head on up, Alondar and the other archmages are at the top. 21st floor." The reading student chuckled, a mirror opposite of the sigh that escaped Sollus's lips.

"21 floors...alright I had better get climbing then..." he waved to Zach who glanced back with a smile.

"I'll have the room all nice and tidy by the time you and Alondar are finished!" Sollus nodded, turning to begin climbing the stairs.

The climb was long and arduous; the disguised dragon passing many strange and wondrous things. Laboratories, classrooms, the tower even had its own dining hall. The stone pillar still spearing right through the middle of it. He passed a few students on his way up, each in their respective colored robe. The floors were numbered, and he was constantly reminded of just how far away he was. At last he reached the 20th floor, and couldn't help but stop and gasp as he moved up into the room. It reached staggeringly high, easily another 5 floors could be fit into the immense room. A fact which would have made the dragon sigh if not for the awe from being in the room. The entrance from the staircase was ironically the lowest point in the room, from the center the floor appeared to terrace, reaching up towards the tops of the walls with rows and rows of bookcases and tables and stairs. Apprentices shuffled about the room, and despite the occasionally thump of books hitting a table it was very quiet. Massive windows were carved into the wall and a pale colored light filtered through the stained glass, lighting the room. The "human" stood for a long while, admiring the impressive collection before a white robed girl came up behind him, holding a leather-bound tome close to her chest.

"Yeah that was my first reaction too. It's the largest collection in all of Accatra, the envy of the other kingdoms, and even a few dragons I would wager." Sollus nodded, the girl having no idea just how right she was.

"Indeed...quite impressive." The girl chuckled, waving up at him before disappearing behind a bookshelf. He looked up, the carved stone staircase reaching from the ground all the way to the ceiling, like a massive bore digging down into the tower. Lifting his tired legs once more the dragon began to ascend, getting a better appreciation for the room as he neared the top, looking down over the ocean of bookcases. At last he read the stone plaque he had been waiting for "21." The staircase abruptly ended, only a small metal guardrail surrounding the entrance to the stairs as he looked around. It was another four-sided room, large wooden doors flanked by banners of an individual school's color, glancing at the purple one he strode forward, lifting his hand to knock on the door, nothing happened. The dragon pondered this for a moment, looking around the room for some guidance and finding none. The other doors were identical and nearly featureless. Looking down he spied a rather quaint rug at the base of the door, stitched into the coarse fabric were words.

"Barriers are illusions."

Sollus tilted his head, then lifted both hands, placing them on either door and pushing as hard as he could, trying to open them. Again they did not budge. Lifting a gloved hand he banged on it once more.

"Barriers are illusions..." the dragon mouthed under his breath. Staring at the door he tilted his head. Closing his eyes and muttering the saying under his breath repeatedly he stepped forward...and right through the door.

~

Sollus blinked, turning behind himself he looked at the door, still there, but much less imposing now, he could see it shaking, waving like water. Turning forward again he examined the room. The ceiling was high, the room rectangular, bookcases lining the walls forward to a desk, books and paper piled high on it, a small staircase was at its side, a few steps leading up to a loft with another desk, just as cluttered, but hunched over it was a man, white haired, in the same purple robe as many apprentices he had seen before, but all of the trim on this one was golden. Sollus cleared his throat, causing the man to look up suddenly.

"Ah! You figured it out! Faster than most apprentices too." The man stood up, all but leaping down the flight of stairs ignoring some paper that flew off from the gust he made as he approached. Sollus got a better look at him now, a white beard of a few inches long, and gold rimmed glasses on his face, which he adjusted as he looked the visitor over.

"Barriers are illusions...stupid saying really, sometimes barriers are just barriers. A brick wall is a brick wall after all!~" He said it with a styled verse to his words, rhyming them almost as if in a song. Looking Sollus over he took a few steps back, lifting his hands to frame the "man" and squinting one eye shut. "illusion is about deception, it is the most difficult magic to master because it not only requires magical skill but also wit and guile!" The man gripped his glasses, tossing them off before they vanished with a puff of purple smoke. "A foe might think you have a handicap you do not actually have, and underestimate you, or a strength and keep you at a distance or outright quit the field!" He pointed to the door that Sollus now regarded as quite permeable. "The mind of your foe has expectations, standards and rules. Take advantage of that, and even though something is not solid at all, their mind will make it so!" Sollus looked down, pondering the old man's words.

"Yes, the door...how did you do that? I never even imagined such a thing were possible...that an illusion could be...so real." The old man laughed a raspy chuckle as he clapped his hands together.

"Oh, but I didn't do that. Your mind did. Confusing? I should hope so!" Sollus began to feel out of his depth. He had been practicing illusion magic on his own for so long, but he never thought of anything like this.

"But...if it is in reality an illusion, then when I pushed on it I should have gone straight through." The old man frowned, a bit frustrated he still did not understand.

"You underestimate your mind's power over your actions. You must free it, see things from different angles, alter your expectations, or else you will never become a master of illusion magics." The man stifled a laugh, leaning forwards and lifting a hand. "Although that might put me out of a job!" He paused, his face becoming more serious as he looked over his visitor. "I bet all of your barriers have been transparent! When in reality all you had to do to make them impenetrable was make them a stone wall." Sollus blinked, staring at the old man.

"But...when I made solid illusions I could go right...through them..." Revelation struck the dragon mid-sentence. The mage held up a hand.

"Because YOU knew they weren't real." He clapped his hands together smiling brightly. "And that is your first lesson for the day! Not my quickest study, but I can see there is real talent here. I would expect as much...from a dragon." The old man shrugged, Sollus choked.

"How...how did you know?" The archmage laughed and waved a hand, turning to pick up the papers he had knocked off earlier.

"Please, I am the foremost expert on illusion magic in all of Accatra and you think I can't recognize an illusion when I see it? Transformative magics are beyond me I'm afraid, quite specialized to dragons, but I still know an illusion when I see it!" Sensing the dragon's fear of being recognized by others he looked up, stacking the papers before leaning on his desk, causing them to promptly fall off onto the floor all over again. "Drat." Sollus sighed in relief, before tilting his head at the earlier comment.

"Wait..what did you say? Transformative magics? Illusion magic users cannot do that?" The man leaned over to gather the papers up once more, shuffling them in no real order as he stepped to the side of the room.

"Oh, they can APPEAR to, but they most certainly cannot actually alter their shape. For example, you, despite being a large dragon, could fit through that door over there, but if I were to make myself appear to be a mouse I could not fit through a mouse hole. Transformative magic is capable of actually changing the shape of living things, though a compaction or expansion into a denser or less dense form. This is why despite being much smaller than a dragon you still have all of the strength of your normal form, as well as why you are so large, making yourself smaller would require a great deal of concentration and skill, which is simply not practical to be walking about in. Observe!" With a snap of his fingers and a blast of purple light the old archmage was suddenly transformed into a large brown dragon. Sollus couldn't help but take a step back. Lifting a massive scaled paw he brought it down swiftly on the desk, but instead of the thing splintering into a thousand pieces the paw passed right through it harmlessly. Sollus could hear the man's real hand landing with a thump on the table, the stack of papers shifting slightly which led the "dragon" to dash over and steady them, his illusion falling to reveal the archmage once more.

"See?" Sollus blinked in recognition, lifting his own hand to clench it into a fist before looking up at the man.

"I see...I had no idea transformation magic was separate from illusions." The mage sputtered, holding up a hand and waving it rather energetically.

"Not separate! A subset. A very useful subset for dragons I might add. I have tried to do even the simplest transformative magics myself, but even I cannot do any of it. Can make a man jealous you know?" Sollus nodded and chuckled a little, unclenching his fist and gesturing, his own illusion falling away as he swelled, growing to return to his natural form, the full-size dragon filling the room as he stretched his neck and adjusted his wings. For his part the mage couldn't help but take a step back, admiring the complexities of the magic involved and looking up at the dragon's great head as he lowered it.

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for showing me...I never thought I would be able to witness such a transformation firsthand..." The man adjusted his robe, brushing it off and bowing to the green dragon. "Archmage Alondar. At your service." Sollus bowed his head to the man, smiling as he felt himself at ease.

"Sollus Dellager. At yours."

~

Descending the winding staircase once more, the again human appearing dragon was filled with hope as he reached the illusion dormitories, Fendel was standing there talking to another student as he noticed, jogging over.

"Ah you're back! How was the archmage? Bit of an odd one isn't he? But then you have to be to study this school of magic." Sollus help up a hand, chuckling.

"Fendel, please, it's been a very long day. Can you show me where Zach is?" The apprentice nodded and led to a wooden door, gesturing at it. Sollus nodded and walked inside, closing it behind himself. Zach was laying on a couch, in his undershirt and reading a book with the title "History of Accatra" on the cover. He shut it promptly and set it aside as his companion walked in.

"Sollus! Welcome back! I was just doing some reading. I figured if I was going to be seeing the world with you I should be better acquainted with it first." Sollus nodded, finding a chair he slumped down into it, sighing deeply as he glanced over at the bed, his body aching for rest.

"The archmage had a lot to say. He really is quite wise and powerful, I think that there is a lot I can learn from him that will help on our journey." Zach looked down, pondering that for a moment.

"You mean in defeating Kranoth?" Sollus nodded, looking up into the vaulted ceiling, the carved stonework the very picture of stability.

"If it comes to that, yes..." Zach stood up, looking out the window, the glass stained with a faint shade of purple, though he could still easily see a good portion of the city stretching out to meet the plains.

"Can we really make a difference? Just the two of us, bring peace to the world somehow? There are so many walls and barriers between us and that." Sollus stood as well, getting up to stand behind the human, placing both relatively giant hands on his shoulders. The sun was just about gone, small lights starting to pop up all over the city.

"We have to try, for both of our races." Sollus walked over to the bed, altering his appearance to change into his dragonkin form, getting into the bed, he gestured Zach to come over, letting him get in before the wrapping his arms around the young man, holding him close and licking his neck.

"Barriers are illusions."